


Nightmares

by KodzukenKat



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keiji & Kozume Kenma Friendship, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, Fluff, M/M, Minor Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Minor Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke, My First Fanfic, Nekoma, Night Terrors, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:40:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27575317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KodzukenKat/pseuds/KodzukenKat
Summary: Kenma's personality changes as something is happening within his mind. When Kuroo helps, he thinks that his little lover is fine, but soon enough he heads to others for help.Will Kenma suffer in silence forever? What happens when he is asked to talk about it, or even worse... elaborate?Will he remain in the darkness within his heart, or will the stupid rooster be able to cure the kitten's ailments, and return him to the light."They're just nightmares."(Or so he thought...)
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Kudos: 21





	1. ~Darkness in place of dreams~

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic here so sorry if it isn't brilliant. I am gonna try to get into writing more cause I have so many ideas but don't know how to put them into words. Also, this is my first Kuroken fanfic and my first ever Haikyuu!! fanfic. I read a lot more than I write so I hope you enjoy what I put out here. 
> 
> Thank you so much to my friend Bronte for beta reading these. (and for dealing with my horrible grammar) ilysm you are a star.
> 
> But anyways, enjoy!
> 
> Much love, Toy!!  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kenma had been extremely quiet over the past few weeks. More quiet than usual, no playing his games, no sudden outbursts, no witty remarks and no comments to Kuroo's lame jokes. All he did daily was look through his phone in his spare time; no sound, no nothing. Just a blank look and one-word answers that avoid confrontation. 

No one had asked questions or 'acted up' in practise so Kenma just believed that they had fallen for his 'normal' mask. 

And he was right. _Mostly..._

There was something that Kenma hadn't taken into account. His boyfriend. The one who had known him forever since childhood and knew exactly what he was like, no matter the time of day or the mood. 

_Kuroo Tetsuro..._

So when Kenma acted differently, Kuroo got curious. He would annoy Kenma more and would tell more and more lame jokes, hoping to get a witty response or a sarcastic comment. He just wanted the usual Kenma back and present. At first he thought the mood change was just a sudden change that would last the normal time; a day. But this one had lasted for a few weeks now, and Kuroo was getting worried. His cute little kitten boyfriend wasn't his usual perky, gaming self and had looked as though sleep deprivation had drowned him. The big, dark bags under his red, puffy eyes were enough for Kuroo to tell that there was something going on. The pale skin and personality dip was just confirmation for that thought.

After practise that day, Kuroo and Kenma had walked back home hand in hand, enjoying each other's warmth. They got to Kenma's house and completed their normal tradition from when they had begun dating before Kuroo went home himself. A loving embrace, a tender kiss shared by both, and a small head pat for Kenma from Kuroo. The normal smile filled with love from Kenma was replaced, however, by a very convincing fake one that everyone but Kuroo would fall for. Luckily for Kenma though, Kuroo decided to leave it for now as he assumed Kenma would sleep when he got in.

The reason he assumed that? The sweet but brief exchange of words before they both parted ways for the night. 

"Hey... Kitten," Kuroo started. Kenma looked up at him with dull eyes before replying, "Yes Kuro?" Kuroo stepped forwards, giving Kenma another hug before resting his head on Kenma’s shoulder and whispering, "Get some sleep please Kitten..." as he lifted his head up and faced Kenma, moving one of his hands to his small cat-like boyfriend's cheeks, "I hate seeing you so tired." He finished with a smile, chuckling slightly as he watched Kenma yawn with half-closed eyes. He slowly turned around to walk home when the dull-eyed boy replied, "I will Kuroo... I-I love you" Kuroo turned around and repeated the phrase saying "I love you too Kenma" before both of them went home.

~~~With Kenma~~~

Kenma stepped into his house to find all the lights off and no one home. He walked through the desolate house, his thoughts running rampant throughout his head, causing a small migraine to form within his temples. He placed a hand on his head as he got to the kitchen and sighed.

_Of course... work...,_ he thought as he pulled the small, pastel yellow sticky note off of the counter where a frozen meal topped with a cat shaped food pin sat. Kenma picked up the food, pocketing the cute cat pin for decoration in one of his game cases. Upon further examination of the food, he realised that there was a decorative pattern drawn with a felt-tip marker on the cardboard that distracted the cat-like boy from his food. This made the corners of his lips turn upwards slightly as he thought about how his mother must've been in a rush, seeing as it was her day off. But the thought of her caring enough to draw a pattern to cheer him up as if she knew that he would need it, despite the possibility that it made her late: that was what made him smile a bit.

Kenma proceeded to carefully remove the box and recycle all of it, except for the small drawing his mother had spent time on; which of course was pocketed along with the food pin from earlier. He placed the meal into the microwave and perched himself on the countertop opposite, watching as his food spun around. When it was finished, he sat and enjoyed his meal with a glass of water.

_I wonder when we can eat together properly again;_ he thought to himself as he cleaned his dishes and trudged up the stairs and into his bedroom, face planting the bed and relaxing completely. 

For some reason, Kenma didn't feel the urge to play his games as the words that Kuroo had said to him just mere moments ago replayed like a broken record in his head.

"Get some sleep please kitten…,” the lines that were said with such care and passion, words that were filled with love, had been twisted in his mind.

"I hate seeing you so tired..." Now _those_ words were the ones that hurt Kenma the most. Not because Kuroo had said it using the word hate, but because Kenma's mind had distorted that line beyond recognition to the point where Kenma hadn't realised the warm tears that were engraving paths into his cheeks. 

It wasn't until he had lifted his hand to his face that he had felt the wet streaks that hugged his cheeks. He began to sob as the negative thoughts about the day as well as the confusing, happier thoughts danced around his mind, creating a pounding feeling throughout Kenma's skull.

"Why...?" he choked out as he turned his petite, fragile body to the wall, curled up into a ball and began to uncontrollably sob.

~~~Meanwhile with Kuroo~~~

Kuroo had just gotten in from saying goodbye to Kenma. He completed his homework at the table before he was called to the dining room to eat dinner with his family. 

He was cracking his usual 'lame' jokes and was laughing like a hyena, causing him to lose his breath quickly. His mother just laughed at him and passed him a glass of water before he choked on his rice too much. He thanked her and began shovelling food into his mouth again, focusing on his mother as she spoke about work and when she will be home late, so that Kuroo knew when to either cook for himself or go to his cute boyfriend's place. 

He zoned out when he heard Kenma's name, thoughts roaming his brain at a million miles a minute, asking insignificant questions and making unknown plans.

_I wonder how Kenma is right now?_ He thought, _Has he eaten a proper meal? Is he getting sleep like I said? Maybe he is still up playing his games…_ His thoughts continued to race as his mother attempted to regain her son's attention.

"Te...s..ro...? Tet...ro! TETSURO!" His mother shouted, letting out fits of giggles when her previously dazed son shook his head vigorously and returned his attention to his mother mumbling multiple apologies. His mother continued to laugh as he raised his head, finishing his apologies with a classic,

"Sorry, I zoned out there for a while, haha..." he laughed nervously at the end as he assumed that his mother would be angry. However, much to his surprise, he looked up to be met not with an angry face, but to his mother doubled over in laughter as she was trying to catch her breath. 

Kuroo looked at her dumbfounded as he had to physically close his now dropped jaw. 

"W—What?!" He began as his mother recovered from her laughter.

"Sorry, you just looked so funny as you were staring into space and shovelling food into your mouth,” she said, looking at her son with a smile, before continuing; "You were thinking about Kenma, weren't you?", she continued.

Kuroo's hand retreated to the back of his neck as he laughed nervously and blush spread, warming up his face; "Y-Yeah" he said.

"Oh, don't be so reserved about your relationship Tetsuro, you guys are so cute and you know that I love both of you sweet angels.” she said whilst she cleaned the table, walking into the kitchen to clean the dishes.

"Ugh really, you know that you're talking about me and my boyfriend, right?" Kuroo began as he chuckled, following his mother into the kitchen to avoid shouting throughout the house. His mother turned to look at him, a teasing smile evident on her face. 

"I know, that _is_ why I said it!" she said, content with the fact that she could embarrass her son so easily.

They both laughed together, filling the home with a happy and bright aura, the complete opposite to Kenma's house which, unknown to Kuroo, was filled only with darkness and the sound of Kenma's sobs. 

As both of the Kuroos recovered from their laughter, his mother told him to do his own thing and talk to Kenma if he is that worried about him. Kuroo agreed almost instantly and sprinted off to his room, shouting a goodbye to his mother as he ran up the stairs. One thought crossed his mind as he entered his room, closing the door behind him and jumping onto the bed pulling his phone out;

_Ooh maybe... maybe.... OH THAT'S IT! I SHOULD TEXT HIM!!_

~~~Back with Kenma~~~

As his heartbreaking sobs filled the room where he laid in darkness, a faint buzz was heard from the pillow next to him accompanied by a small _ding_ ; a faint light from his phone screen signalling he had a message. Lazily, he picked up his phone and looked at the now lit up screen. He failed to tear his eyes away from the name that had appeared on his phone screen as his weariness escaped him.

**< Kuro>**

Kenma felt the darkness lift slightly when he read the message from his excitable boyfriend:

**< Kuro>**

**"Hey Kitten! Did you eat well? Did you get some sleep? Are you still playing your games? Are you alone?"**

Kuroo had compiled all the questions that had obviously just flowed straight out of his mind into one big message that helped drag Kenma out of his thoughts as he soon replied.

**< Kitten>**

**"I love you so much Kuro... You know that?"**

He replied, knowing that it wasn't like him at all.

However, his mind was in such a fragile and vulnerable state as he put his phone down next to him, his eyes becoming heavy and slowly closed, drowning out the now faint _ding_ of the texts he had received, most likely from Kuroo.

He slowly drifted off into a sleep that from the outside looked serene; although, on the inside, the blockades that had been so tightly built up, _collapsed_ , causing a flood of negative thoughts to pool the tranquility that was once Kenma's mind.

Unknowingly, this caused wet tear pools to form in his relaxed eyes, flowing gently down his cheek as he laid motionless. Too scared of the events unravelling within his mind to become restless at any point. 

_They mocked and taunted him._

_Over and over and over, the process repeats itself. It just won't stop. They are right, though. Why should I be happy? Why should anyone care? Why should I have the perfect relationship? Why should he love me? He could do so much better... He is so out of my league... He deserves better than me, anyway... I'm just a low-life, boring, unsociable, cold, game addict... What's there to fall in love with...?_

The shadows continued to taunt, mock and surround him until all he could see was darkness. It was cold. Just like before. But this time it was dark too, no one could help him now, they couldn't before but still it's hopeless. But why would they? 

Just as quickly as the light left it returned in the form of an infinitesimal speck just out of Kenma's reach. Until it suddenly surrounded him in a warm hug.

_He felt safe._

_He felt secure._

_He felt... loved._

He knew that only one person had this effect on him, but he never quite believed it. Surely he hadn't troubled his boyfriend that much. There was no way that Kuroo had come to his house and seen the sorry state that was the feline boy. But the light and warmth that spread around Kenma's petite body suggested otherwise.

_Kenma watched as the shadows fought a losing battle. Attempts to fight their way back to him were shot down almost immediately._


	2. ~One soft lullaby~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Kenma's nightmares continue? 
> 
> Or will he be pulled free?
> 
> Let's find out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you are enjoy what I have so far!
> 
> I know I'm not the quickest at writing these but I am pacing myself so that I can make the most out of my writing. I am also trying to stay at least 2 chapters ahead so that I always have one ready just in case. 
> 
> Also, posts won't happen everyday, I just thought that getting the first two out back to back would be nicer as there will be more sustenance to the story that way.
> 
> Thank again to Bronte, my lovely friend and beta reader. She's the one who has to deal with my awful grammar. (and she has to repeat herself all the time when beta reading :))  
> She's amazing!! really!!
> 
> Anyways on with the story -->
> 
> Much love, Toy!  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_(Previously)_

_He watched as the shadows fought a losing battle. Attempts to fight their way back to Kenma were shot down almost immediately._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kenma listened as he heard a faint humming sound and then a few words:

"Kitten, don't let them in…."

He continued to, unknowingly, tremble beneath the light as he carried on to engage his mind in watching the shadows fight. 

"Clear your thoughts again..."

Kenma slowly came to terms with the events unfolding around him as the light and warm grip on him became tighter, ensuring him of his safety within those arms.

Kenma slowly regained consciousness as his eyes fluttered open slightly to find himself still on his bed, surrounded by darkness. Kenma mumbled slightly, but it was just loud enough to be heard:

"But when I'm all alone,... they come back on their own..."

He felt two strong arms reposition his body further into their lap as he realised that he was curled up in Kuroo's lap as he was humming to himself and trying to calm Kenma. The cat boy continued to mumble as he snuggled further into the warmth that his boyfriend provided him with.

"They're fighting their battles with fire, inner demons don't abide by rules...."

Kenma had realised that Kuroo probably got worried and came over, but he had never anticipated this reaction from the ever excitable Kuroo. Mid-thought he heard:

"Just push them down, Kitten, please fight them harder. Are you really giving up on it so soon?"

Kenma lifted his head, looking his taller boyfriend in the eyes as he admired the stupid smile and the caring look he was being stared at with in return.

"Please, just keep on fighting... Kitten, don't give up on me... please..."

Kenma listened to Kuroo's voice echo around his spacious bedroom softly as he looked down towards his boyfriend's chest, gripping harder onto Kuroo's hoodie as he felt his eyes pool when they came back to his head.

"But the demons th-they just keep fighting... my inner demons just won't leave Tetsu..."

Kenma continued as he felt a lump forming within his throat. 

"So Kitten, please, listen to me—"

“--Tetsu, life is so unfair…”

Kenma interrupted Kuroo as he felt the pools in his eyes continue to build. The lump in his throat refused to be swallowed.

"So please, _please_ stay here… take the pain, the fear, I'm here now."

Kuroo had noticed how his small boyfriend's breathing had become erratic. The next line Kenma whispered had broken Kuroo's heart when he heard the usually calm, collected, but also sweet voice that belonged to the cat-eyed boy had become strained, and out of breath.

"They say 'It won't be hard'... But they don't see the battles I face, _every day_ within my soul... but as everyone turns away, the voices seem to remain..."

Kuroo looked up as he tightened his hold on the frail boy on top of him. 

"Well, these inner voices don't cope well when surrounded by others... They make you do all kinds of stuff; cheat, lie, steal, break, bruise... Kitten—"

Kuroo was cut off again as an ending line of heartbreaking whispers left Kenma's mouth.

"-- _Please_... Tetsu... protect me from these rebels... This is a fight I really don't wanna lose..."

Kuroo's head snapped back down towards Kenma as the boy's sobs echoed around the room again, being muffled slightly by Kuroo's hoodie. His body stiffened as he felt the slight weight on top of him shake uncontrollably. So he continued...

"So Kitten, Puddin'... please just keep on fighting..."

Kuroo hummed the soft song and whispered that last couple of lines to Kenma whilst hugging him tighter. He relaxed as he felt the shaking of his boyfriend's body subside.

"Puddin' don't give up..."

Kuroo continued to hum the song and cradle Kenma. "Shh Kenma, I'm here now..." he soothed his miniature boyfriend.

Kuroo's mind wandered back to how he had come over to find his boyfriend in this state. 

_~~~Previously~~~_

Kuroo had jumped onto his bed and pulled his phone out, immediately seeing Kenma's name at the top when he opened messages. Questions he had before just spilled out of his mind and into the message, compiling a wave of overwhelming but thoughtful and caring questions. 

**< Kuro>**

**"Hey Kitten! Did you eat well? Did you get some sleep? Are you still playing your games? Are you alone?"**

He put his phone down eagerly, awaiting a reply from the smaller boy as he changed out of his school clothes into some more casual wear, joggers and a hoodie with a loose vest top underneath. He was putting all of his school stuff away when, _ding_. His phone went off. He rushed over to it, plopping on his bed as he pulled up the message. 

**< Kitten>**

**"I love you so much, Kuro... You know that?"**

He was giddy with excitement when he saw that message. His kitten said he loved him _first,_ twice that day. There was a nagging feeling, however, in the back of Kuroo's mind that told him to run to Kenma, because something was _wrong_.

_He is fine... right?_ His thoughts raced as he convinced himself over and over that his boyfriend was fine and was just really affectionate today.

_I'll send him another message... or two_ , Kuroo decided. 

**< Kuro>**

**"Awhhh!!!! I love you too, Kitten."**

_Read_

_~~~5 mins later~~~_

**< Kuro>**

**"Hey..."**

_Read_

_~~~10 mins later~~~_

**< Kuro>**

**"Kitten? Are you still there?"**

_Read_

_~~~15 mins later~~~_

**< Kuro>**

**"I mean... you rarely respond quickly but I am worried because you would've told me to stop bothering you by now..."**

_Read_

_~~~5 mins later~~~_

**< Kuro>**

**"Kenma... I can see that you have read all my messages, so why won't you respond? This isn't like you."**

_Read_

_~~~5 mins later~~~_

**< Kuro>**

**"THAT'S IT!!! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!"**

_Read_

**< Kuro>**

**"Sorry, Kitten... I'm coming over..."**

Kuroo sent the final message, apologising from the previous outburst before looking back at the screen one last time, only to see the words that confirmed the doubts within his head.

_Read_

Kuroo was right to worry. His usually calm and collected boyfriend had been off all day. Then he had been really affectionate towards the taller male. Aside from that, he had been the first to initiate those intimate moments that they shared throughout the day. Although, the most undeniable fact that something was definitely either wrong or out of place with Kenma, was that he had not texted back telling Kuroo to stop annoying him or even to tell Kuroo ‘no’ when he mentioned coming over.

The worst part of it all for Kuroo, though, was that Kenma had read ALL the messages sent to him and yet STILL he hadn't replied to any of them, nor did he show any sign of replying to them. This, in turn, made Kuroo worry even more. Yes, it was completely normal for Kenma to ignore messages he received until later, but NEVER had Kenma opened all of them and then not responded. He had always been the type to be one of the two extremes, never in the middle. 

But as all the thoughts whirled around Kuroo's head, he found himself packing an overnight bag and running down the hall to the bathroom for his wash bag. Stuffing everything he needed into the sports bag and slinging it over his shoulder, after carelessly zipping it up, he snatched his phone from his bed, checking one last time for any update from his little pudding-haired boyfriend. 

_No new messages_

That was the tipping point for Kuroo. As all positive conclusions were flooded from his brain, making him waste no time in sprinting down the stairs, passing by the living room, where his mother was watching tv.

As he passed he shouted back, "I'M STAYING AT KENMA'S FOR A FEW NIGHTS!!" his voice only just reaching his mother as he was soon out of the door and running down the street after hearing a faint;

"OKAY!!" in return to his statement.

He felt his heart race at a million miles per hour as he continued to run just a couple blocks down to Kenma's house. No matter how much his legs screamed at him to stop, he just pushed more and more to where, if he stopped now, he would most certainly collapse and be rendered useless.

His brain was compiling possible scenarios that all ended negatively. Kuroo had never had this bad of an overthinking problem before; _so why now_ he thought as he came closer and closer to the front door of Kenma's house. The journey felt much longer than usual for Kuroo, and he didn't like the feeling he was getting at all. 

The front door came closer and further into Kuroo's line of sight as he examined the window that usually would have a dim flickering light still regardless of the time. He figured that Kenma's mother had been called into work late again, which was nothing new, but he still imagined that Kenma would have either told him or would still play his games until the early morning. 

So the sight of the dark house scared Kuroo a lot as he routed through his pockets for the spare key that had been given to him when the two boys had first started dating. His fingers touched something soft in his pocket as he felt his index finger slip through the keyring on the end.

He pulled the keys out, seeing the spare key attached to the keyring that balanced on his pointer finger. The other end of the keyring, holding a tiny, fluffy cat plush, the colour of the night sky. Its glassy eyes reflected the dim light from the moon and stars that sat peacefully in the sky, watching over the struggles that this boy was going through.

He thought about the cat plush more and how he received it on his birthday the year previous and how he would treasure it forever. Those thoughts were interrupted by the realisation that he had been daydreaming and had come to a halt directly on the doorstep of his pudding-haired boyfriend's house. He inwardly cursed himself for daydreaming when there could be something wrong with his cat-like lover but, regardless, he pushed the key into the lock and let himself in. His thoughts came back in a full circle the minute he had entered the house. 

Letting his eyes adjust to the darkness that surrounded him, he slipped off his shoes and padded slowly inwards and down the hall towards the stairs. There was no sign of life in the house, and it was deathly silent until Kuroo heard a small sniffle and some choked sobs coming from above him. He listened for a few more seconds before it dawned upon him: it was only one person.

The one that Kuroo dreaded to see in that state.

'Kenma...'

Kuroo padded his way up the stairs and cautiously made his way down the hallway and into Kenma's room, prying the door open slightly as he let himself in and left his bag in the corner. The only thing that lit the room up was the light coming in from the moon as if it were helping to calm Kuroo's nerves and help him out in this situation. 

Kuroo stood still as he took in the sobs and sniffs that were currently coming from his lover as he realised that Kenma was asleep. The natural light donned the room, illuminating a path straight from the door where Kuroo stood, after closing it, all the way to the bed where the compact figure was laying. Kuroo slowly made his way over, as to not startle the sleeping Kenma. With each step he felt a weight being lifted, whilst simultaneously feeling a similar weight being placed back upon him with a different explanation. He noticed how there was a faint light coming from beside Kenma's face, just where his hands clasped together, clutching the blanket between them.

Kuroo reached out for the source of light and grabbed it, quickly realising that Kenma had left his phone on the chat;

_So that's why he was reading but not responding... he must have fallen asleep just after he sent that message_ , Kuroo thought as he turned the phone off and plugged it in, placing it on the small table in Kenma's room where he always leaves his electrical devices to charge.

His train of thought, however, broke as Kenma let out a small whimper before whispering, "What's there to fall in love with...?".

Kuroo's eyes widened and his head snapped towards his small boyfriend's figure as he noticed that the delicate figure's body shook as more sobs broke from him, cutting his sentence off.

But Kuroo didn't need to hear the rest of Kenma's sentence to know what he was talking about. Only one thing crossed Kuroo's mind as he shot across the room quickly and quietly, scooping Kenma up in his arms before settling on Kenma's bed, placing the cute, fragile body of his little lover on top of him as he hummed a soothing song and played with the pudding coloured locks of hair that sat just under his chin. 

_Nightmare._

_~~~Present~~~_

The bedhead boy continued to soothe Kenma as his thoughts returned to the present moment. He felt Kenma's body shift as he curled up closer to Kuroo, if it was even physically possible, and buried his head into the muscular chest of his rooster boyfriend, his arms reaching and hands clasping on to the hoodie that the taller boy wore.

Kenma slowly pulled Kuroo down towards him as he sealed the moment with a sweet and affectionate kiss. Their kiss happened in the moon's light. Outside, stray cats were raiding garbage cans and bin bags, birds were finding a place to perch in trees for the night, and all while the crickets were singing their song to last until morning arrived. The cool brisk air flowed gently throughout the streets, coming in the small gap in the window of Kenma's room. The air travelled around enough to give the room a chill that was enough to keep them cool and not let them overheat whilst also not being enough to make them sick the next morning. 

The air brought with it a hint of mystique, alongside the flurry of stardust that became present in the night sky. The two lovers pulled apart, pressing their foreheads together in an intimate notion. Silently showing their adoration for each other. 

"I love you, Kitten..."

Kuroo stated in the dead of night. 

"I love you too Tetsu..."

Kenma whispered as he snuggled his face further into Kuroo's chest.

They both cuddled into each other's warmth, taking in each other's scent as they drifted off together.


	3. ~Whence love came~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_ (Previously) _

_ They both cuddled into each other's warmth, taking in each other's scent as they drifted off together. _

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

As the crisp morning breeze brushed past the crimson leaves of Autumn, the luminous sun was blocked by the cool blues and greys of the fluffy clouds that perched in the sky, casting light shadows from their place in front of the sun. 

Birds chirped their sweet songs as they fluttered around, balancing on telephone wires. Amidst the transparent clouds, the silhouettes of the avians passed, insinuating the migration southwards. 

The time was apparent,  _ 4:30am _ , no noise could be heard on the outskirts of Tokyo, as a few dark feathers fell onto the street. The concrete was cold in the early morning. Feathers and cherry coloured, peony blossoms dancing with the wind.

In the distance, the trees swayed, letting small sapling leaves join the silent procession as it made its way towards its destination. Fields, just off the course of the streets that led into the small rows of houses, glistened a lime green hue as light reflected over the land. Pink and red petals settled on the grass, fluttering as the slight breeze brushed past. 

Close to the edge of the houses, soft bunches of pinks, whites and pastel blues lined the street. The concrete cracked to show tiny buds that had formed under the solid rock. Emerald stems cascaded around the flurry of pastel coloured orchids, showcasing each one in its own nest of leaves. Smooth petals with light washes of colour broke away with the breeze, most dancing along the pale grey concrete, as others fell slowly, gently settling at the base of the stem.

A short stream flowed down through an abandoned park, surrounded by tall pine trees. Gently floating atop the stream, fuchsia water lilies and bright lotus blossoms followed the serene waters, eventually just sitting afloat in the quaint pond. Long cat-tail grass surrounded the pond that sat at the heart of the park. 

Kenma had awoken, feeling refreshed and warm as he pushed himself up from his spot on the bed. However, his attempt was futile as he felt a heavy weight drag him back down, causing him to fall face first into the plush pillow beneath him.

_ What _ , he thought as he, again, tried to push himself up.

Feeling his arms collapse immediately, his face resumed its position, buried in the pillow. Letting out a small groan, he decided against getting up, knowing that it was absolutely impossible. He turned his head to the side, seeing the big goof that he loved so much, laying next to him.

All the memories from the night previous flooded back to him as he felt the floodgates open, causing no end of tears to spill out right after he blinked. The shorter teen eventually moved his hands towards his face, using his sleeves to clean his face off.

He glanced up, seeing the rough outlines of the clock on his bedside table. Unfortunately for Kenma, though, being the more vertically challenged of the two, couldn’t see through the, somehow messier, bedhead of the boy next to him. Slowly, he squirmed his body until he had turned to face the other way, spotting his phone that was placed on charge just out of his reach.

Despite this, Kenma reached out his thin, pale hands towards the white cable that connected his phone to the charger at the wall, his slender fingertips grazing the wire slightly. Although he touched the wire as he had desired, due to Kenma still being groggy, he glimpsed at the time as the phone fell to the carpeted floor with a  _ thud. _

_ Shit,  _ Kenma thought as his head snapped back round to face Kuroo. A loud grumble came from the sleeping teen as he shuffled around.

_ Crap, please don't wake up.  _ Kenma’s thoughts ran wild as he silently pleaded that his carelessness hadn’t woken the snoring Kuroo at this  _ ungodly hour _ .

“Sorry!” Kenma whispered. Soon enough, Kuroo was asleep again. Snoring heavily, the arm that was heavily draped across Kenma’s waistline unconsciously moved, grasping Kenma in a tight hold and dragging the lighter of the two into Kuroo’s side, effortlessly.

Kenma remembered the time that he had spotted briefly, 

_ 4:35 am. No wonder he's still asleep; _ Kenma thought as he continued to stare at the face of his snoring boyfriend, who had pulled Kenma so close that their noses grazed each other lightly. Kenma could feel Kuroo’s hot, but light breath on his face as the latter remained immersed in a deep slumber. 

Short rays of light shone on the bedroom floor, where Kenma, upon moving his face slightly to the side, noticed the rooster’s signature overnight sports bag. The sleeve of a certain red jacket hung down the side, from where the zip was messily closed. Kenma knew that meant that his dear, but annoying, boyfriend was going to be staying for a while.

“Thank you, Kuro,” was the whisper that came from Kenma, as he leant over to lay a soft kiss on Kuroo’s cheek. His lips lingered atop Kuroo’s cheek for a little before he slid out of Kuroo’s hold. Kuroo had relaxed his hold on Kenma a little, allowing the feline male to take his chance and slide out of the death grip he was held under.

Just as Kenma stood up, he felt the weight shift as the bed no longer supported him. He slowly padded his way to the bathroom, feeling the cold wooden floor under his feet as he stepped into the hallway. A small shiver ran down his spine as he continued to make his way down the hallway. 

Once he got there, he looked in the mirror, feeling refreshed. He saw how his eyes were red and puffy from the crying of the night prior, alongside his tousled hair from that same nightmare. Kenma reached for the comb that was resting on the white porcelain sink, when he realised he felt  _ awake _ .

_ More awake than usual. _

_ Must’ve been thanks to Kuroo being there to stop that--,  _ Kenma’s thoughts were cut off as he heard the light pitter patter of raindrops, closely followed by the sun’s light being blocked almost completely. 

_ Sounds like it’s raining today,  _ Kenma thought as he ran the small comb through his pudding coloured locks. Kenma got lost in his thoughts as the rain continued to pound against the small window. Ideas and voices swarmed his head as he finished combing through his hair, placing the comb back into its rightful place. 

His head becoming heavy, Kenma placed his hands on the edge of the sink, gripping it tightly. He hung his head in front of him, to relieve any strain caused by holding it up, all so he could focus on removing those  _ toxic  _ voices. Unknowingly, his breathing became rapid and could be heard from the bedroom at the other end of the hall where his boyfriend was sleeping soundly. 

_ Or so he thought. _

~~~With Kuroo~~~

Kuroo had woken up, feeling the place next to him, still encased in warmth from where the compact figure had originally laid. He groggily turned his head, looking through his eyelashes as his eyes threatened to close again. Kuroo wanted to find and cuddle Kenma again. He felt empty and cold without the slender teen wrapped up in his arms.

“Kitten?” Kuroo slurred, still tired. He felt nothing beside him except for the warmth of the bed where said ‘Kitten’ had previously laid.

“Kitten? Where are you?” Kuroo was more awake now as he moved his arms back underneath his body, pushing himself up to lie on his forearms. Kenma wasn’t there. 

_ Where is he?  _ Kuroo thought as he pushed himself off of the bed, feeling the soft carpet underneath his feet. Kuroo ran his hands through his hair, removing any knots that had occurred overnight and ultimately allowing it to remain in the state that it was in. 

Kuroo looked around, his eyes catching the phone wire that led to the floor instead of the phone. Upon further inspection, Kuroo had noticed that Kenma’s phone was now laying on the floor, the charger pulled tight. Kuroo picked the phone up with a small sigh, replacing it on the table.

Feeling the heat that surrounded him, he removed his hoodie, figuring that it would be better to simply remain in his joggers and vest top. Making his way towards the window, Kuroo cracked it, seeing the rain pour down. He looked at the clock beside him, making sure that no rain was getting into the room.

_ 4:50am,  _ Kuroo thought as he made his way out of the room, in search of his little pudding-haired lover. 

As Kuroo left the room, he heard the rain overpowering everything else with how heavy it sounded. 

_ Good thing we don’t have school or morning practise today, _ Kuroo thought as he listened to the rain. However, within the small gaps of silence that the rain caused from its irregular falling, Kuroo could hear laboured, ragged breaths coming from the bathroom at the end of the hall. 

He could pinpoint those breaths to one person only,

_ Kenma. _

~~~With Kenma~~~

The rain continued to fall, drowning out everything around him until it was only Kenma and his thoughts. They were overwhelming as Kenma tried to get rid of them and steady his breathing. However, nothing was working for him as he always ended up being dragged back into the darkness. 

_ What did Akaashi say again?  _ Kenma thought as he tried to recall the memory,

_ ~~~Previously~~~ _

“The thoughts just get a bit too much sometimes.” Kenma had been ranting to Akaashi, one of his best and most trusted second year friends, for a while now. Telling every detail to his best friend really helped with the issues. 

Akaashi always gave expert advice when it came to these overthinking problems, as Kenma had liked to write it off as. Despite  _ the Akaashi Keiji _ being one of the coldest second years, he always helped a friend, especially a certain cat, whenever he was needed. 

“If someone is with you at that point,” he had started,

“Match your breathing with theirs. But if you are alone, count to ten, breathing in slowly through your nose and out through your mouth,” Akaashi had finished. 

Breathing tips seemed to be Akaashi’s forte when it came to helpful advice for these breakdowns that Kenma had been suffering with. Although, the little cat wondered if his owl friend had told Bokuto about his own issues, and how he reacted. 

“I started to get more control over them after I told Kou— I mean Bokuto-san about them. Now he is always there to help me.” Keiji had said, correcting himself when he used his owl loving boyfriend’s pet name instead of the usual name he gave Bokuto whenever he was talking about him. 

“H—How did he react to it...?” Kenma trailed off, not wanting to overstep his boundaries by delving into Akaashi’s personal business. Akaashi glanced up at Kenma, looking over the worried expression that Kenma was wearing. Akaashi smiled a bit at his best friend.

“He just asked me to tell him how he could help. He was really eager too.” Akaashi said, letting the smile take over his face before he continued, with a little giggle,

“By the way, Kenma, there’s no need to be so worried when asking those questions. You know I will never judge you or be uncomfortable with them. You’re my best friend, there is absolutely no way that you could ever overstep your boundaries with me.” Akaashi was now beaming at Kenma, still giggling at the expression that Kenma wore. 

“This is why you’re the best, Keiji.” Kenma began, returning the smile his best friend had given him just mere moments ago,

“And I see Bokuto has been teaching you the famous ‘Bokuto Beam’ hasn’t he?” Kenma remarked, using his slender fingers to air quote ‘Bokuto Beam’ so it was emphasised. Kenma loved to joke around with Akaashi, especially after they had been speaking about some deeper, heavy-set topics. 

“KEN KEN” Akaashi exclaimed, his entire face turning red as he tried to contort his face back into the usual cold expression he wears. 

“I’m only kidding,” Kenma retorted, as he let out a small laugh at Akaashi’s dilemma, much to the taller’s dismay. 

They both continued their day, chatting to each other, catching each other up on the latest stories and bonding over how stupid their significant others acted, especially when the four of them were together.

_ ~~~Present~~~ _

_ That’s it,  _ Kenma had remembered Akaashi’s wise words about getting his breathing steady, all in amongst the recollection of their little day out.

Kenma began to count in his head as he practised the breathing exercise that Akaashi had spoken about. Alas, it had no effect for Kenma, as his thoughts kept on racing, making it so he felt ready to collapse at any minute. 

Out of the blue, a warmth grasped Kenma in the form of two large, muscular arms that snaked around his waist, pulling Kenma closer until his back was against a rock-hard chest. 

A small weight then laid on Kenma’s shoulder as he remained looking down. A husky, morning voice accompanying as Kenma heard a whisper in his ear, 

_ “Just match your breathing with mine. Okay Kitten?” _


	4. ~The Kitten and the Rooster~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chaos of the night previous continues to flow over to the morning. 
> 
> What will the Rooster and his little Kitten do...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
> Sorry this took so long to get out.
> 
> Really hope you enjoy and I hope that it was worth the wait.
> 
> Again thanks to my amazing beta reader, Bronte. 
> 
> Enjoy!!!
> 
> :D
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_ (Previously) _

_ A small weight then laid on Kenma’s shoulder as he remained looking down. A husky, morning voice accompanying as Kenma heard a whisper in his ear,  _

_ “Just match your breathing with mine. Okay Kitten?” _

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

“Okay” 

A small whimper accompanied the kitten, as he agreed with the rooster who had somehow known exactly what Kenma was trying to do. Held within Kuroo’s safe and warm embrace, Kenma relaxed, feeling all the tension leave his body as he attempted to match his breathing with Kuroo’s. The feeling of Kuroo’s chest on Kenma’s back helped the setter with matching their breathing, as Kenma could feel the rise and fall of the middle blocker’s chest directly on his shoulder blades.

Kuroo could feel how tense Kenma’s body was as he continued to hug Kenma tight, listening to the ragged breaths coming from the tiny figure in his arms. All he could do was keep his breathing steady and hold on to his little love until Kenma was stable enough to talk about it. 

_ What is all of this from? There has to be something that I am missing.  _ Kuroo’s thoughts ran wild as he continued to rack his brain, thinking of any reason that would explain why Kenma has been like this. Kuroo couldn’t think of anything at all.

They had been standing there for what felt like hours, but in reality, after 10 minutes, Kenma’s breathing calmed down, resonating with Kuroo’s steady breathing pattern. All the while, rain had been pounding against the window and a luke-warm breeze was flowing in through the crack in the window, cooling them down as they remained as they were. 

Kenma’s body slowly relaxed as it sunk gently towards the floor, the only thing supporting his weight being Kuroo’s enormous arms that had not moved from where they were situated around Kenma’s waistline. Kuroo supplied Kenma’s body with more support as he quickly, but carefully, pulled Kenma up and spun him around so he was face to face with Kuroo.

Kenma lifted his arms until they were lazily resting upon Kuroo’s shoulders, his hands hanging limp behind Kuroo’s neck as he felt Kuroo’s arms grab him round the waist again, to keep him steady. 

The fragile setter laid his head on the scheming captain’s chest, feeling a wave of nausea hit him as he did so. Another weight softly landed on top of the former’s head as he realized the rain had been tuned out by the sound of Kuroo’s beating heart, thumping in Kenma’s ear as Kuroo had leant his body further forwards to encase the smaller head in a protective and loving embrace, placing his own chin on the pudding-coloured locks of the boy in his arms. 

They had stayed like that for a while when suddenly,  _ boom _ . Thunder sounded, echoing through the house. Like the feline he secretly was, Kenma jolted, still encased in Kuroo’s grip. Kuroo felt as his loose vest top was being pulled tight round his sides and back from where Kenma had grabbed it, attempting to pull himself even closer to Kuroo. 

Kuroo pulled away from the embrace slightly, seeing Kenma’s eyes widen as he was forced to let go of his only sanctuary. Fear clear in his eyes, he scanned Kuroo’s face, trying to find out why he had stopped. Kuroo  _ knew _ about Kenma’s fear, he had  _ always _ helped Kenma through it.

_ So why? Why now? What did I do wrong?  _ Kenma’s thoughts raced again until he felt his arms be pulled from where they had fallen at his sides, eventually laying back on Kuroo’s shoulders so that there was no space between them. 

Their chests touched as the thunder clashed outside,  _ crash _ , Kenma jumped at each loud sound, wanting to just bury himself in Kuroo’s arms forever. Kuroo’s warmth seemed to help Kenma no matter what. Kuroo’s presence always brought about a light air to wherever he was, which was also where Kenma often was. Kuroo was just like  _ a saving grace _ for Kenma. 

Kenma continued to think about how lucky he was to have Kuroo in his life as he closed his eyes, wincing at every loud sound, all whilst burying his face further into Kuroo’s shoulder. However, as he did so, Kenma felt a pair of large, warm hands travel down from his waist to his thighs. Brushing over his hips as they did so. 

Then, in one quick motion, Kenma was scooped up from the floor, his legs wrapping around the waist of his holder as he felt those huge arms support him, one underneath him and one around Kenma’s back. The little second-year then felt some soft, warm lips place a gentle kiss on his temple as they moved toward the stairs that led to the living room and kitchen. Kenma felt them stop halfway as, after a minute, he was having a red hoodie pulled over his head, engulfing him down to his knees in the fabric. 

_ Kuroo’s hoodie. _ Kenma smiled at the thought, knowing that his partner just wanted to keep Kenma warm and content. Although, Kuroo had mentioned a few times before that he loved to see Kenma wearing his hoodies as they made Kenma look,

“Even cuter,” Kuroo had put it. 

The thunder was still resounding as Kuroo made his way down the hallway to the stairs, making his way down  _ carefully _ , with Kenma still hanging on to him. He made it to the kitchen and looked at the clock.

_ 5:05am _ , Kuroo noted as he proceeded to the living room, sitting in one corner of the sofa. He cradled Kenma as the thunder continued to range outside, leaning down slightly, Kuroo whispered,

“It’s only a small thunderstorm, it will be gone soon.” 

Kenma felt the warm breath from Kuroo’s  _ supposedly _ soothing words tickle the back of his neck gently. Thinking over it for a good minute or two, Kenma soon whispered back, giggling a little.

“Okay, Mr. Science Nerd, but that doesn’t change that fact that I fear it,” Kenma started, moving his face closer to Kuroo’s as pink tinted both of their faces,

“I love you, Mr. I know all the clouds in the sky by name.” Kenma finished, laughing a bit as he looked at Kuroo’s face, that signature, devilish smirk of his plastered on the rooster’s face. Kenma couldn’t help but giggle more, forgetting all about the thunder as he was enjoying making up as many science related nicknames for,

“Mr. I love the periodic table more than anything.” As Kenma could.

“HEY!!” Kuroo shouted, throwing his arms to the side,  _ dramatically _ , before continuing

“That’s not true and you know it, Kenma!” 

Slowly, Kuroo edged his arms forwards. Kenma was laughing lots as he kept spitting out random science names he remembered Kuroo telling him about. The sound of Kenma’s giggles were music to Kuroo’s ears, he could listen to that sound on repeat all day.

In fact, he had  _ planned _ to.

Kenma didn’t notice how Kuroo’s hands had landed on his slender waist, nor had he noted the, somehow,  _ even more _ devilish smirk that was plastered onto the larger boy’s face. Kenma didn’t notice until he was tickled.

Both had failed to realise that the thunderstorm had passed. Kuroo was tickling Kenma’s sides and stomach, Kenma squirming to break free so he could run. 

“K—Kuroo! S—Stop tickling me!” Kenma laughed whilst trying to push Kuroo away so he could catch a breath. 

“Never!” Kuroo replied, continuing to tickle Kenma and hold him tight so he couldn’t escape. 

The house was filled with laughs, a positively glowing aura enrapturing it. If someone walked past, they would be able to tell that the two boys were in there as their close neighborhood knew that those two were each other's heart and soul. The distant boy who only ever played games could laugh and be happy without electronics as long as the rooster boy was present. 

Soon enough, they found themselves in a rather compromising position. Kenma lay on his back across the sofa with Kuroo hovering above him, tickling his stomach and sides. Suddenly, Kuroo stopped and started laughing too as Kenma’s giggles slowed down, attempting to catch his breath. 

Kuroo’s hands migrated underneath Kenma’s back, scooping the kitten up into his hold before flipping them over quickly and laying on the sofa, Kenma on his chest as to not squish him with the large body that belonged to the rooster. 

Kenma hummed in agreement to the position change as he turned his head to look at the window, placing his delicate, pale hands on the muscular chest underneath him to push himself up slightly. 

“The storms over Kuro…” Kenma trailed off, waiting for the hyena under him to calm down and catch his breath too. Kenma looked back at his boyfriend to see a pleasant smile plastered on Kuroo’s face. 

“What?” Kenma asked, laying his arms down and placing his chin on his boyfriend’s chest to look at him, feeling the rise and fall of Kuroo’s chest and the vibration when Kuroo spoke.

“You just look so pretty when the sun's shining on you, ya know?” Kenma looked at Kuroo and then looked down from where he was laying, avoiding eye contact as the heat rose to his cheeks. 

Kenma just  _ knew  _ that he was blushing at that moment.

Kenma sluggishly rolled off of Kuroo’s chest and onto the floor, landing with a small  _ thud.  _ He then got up and started walking to the kitchen, face continuing to heat as he did so. 

“Ken~Ken~” Kuroo complained as he watched the frail back of his lover walk into the kitchen with no explanation. Kuroo got up and trudged through, spotting Kenma at the kitchen counter making some toast. 

Kuroo snuck up behind Kenma and snaked his arms around Kenma’s slender waist as the hoodie, that was draped over Kenma’s form, crumpled inwards, shaping the tiny figure that it engulfed. 

“Hey.” Kuroo whispered,

“Why did you leave like that?” He continued as Kenma pulled the warm toast out of the toaster. Kuroo yawned, still groggy from the early hour that the two woke. Kenma saw his opportunity and shoved one piece of toast into Kuroo’s mouth, mid-yawn, running away soon after, giggling to himself.

Loud thudding of footsteps charging down the hall could be heard as Kenma made it back in record time with his phone. He had noticed that it wasn’t in his pocket and he needed to get that rare daily reward as well as keeping his continuous streak on the game that he was playing. 

Kuroo had already pulled the toast out of his mouth and ate it when Kenma returned, slightly out of breath. 

“Nuh-uh.” Kuroo started, pulling Kenma’s phone out of the latter’s hands and pocketing it,

“Not until…” Kuroo continued, picking up the extra slice of toast from the toaster and holding it out to Kenma.

“You’ve eaten. Here!” Kuroo finished as Kenma pouted and took the toast. 

“Don’t worry! I’ll give it back after,  _ I promise, _ I always do anyway.” Kuroo added, noticing the expression on Kenma’s face change into a reluctant but satisfied half-smile. 

They walked back into the living room and sat down as they finished their toast. As promised, Kuroo returned Kenma’s phone, watching as the younger of the two opened his game and collected his rewards just in time. There were only  _ 3 minutes  _ left after all.

“So, when does your mother get back then?” Kuroo asked, thinking about all the other times that she had been working when he had stayed with Kenma.

She had always returned in the early morning and had been asleep when they woke up. Normally, when they went to the kitchen, there would be a note on the counter and if not then Kenma would have a text. She never had liked to trouble anyone, always telling someone where she was so that everyone that needed to eventually knew.

“I don’t know. Oh wait, I have a text from her.” Kenma replied, feeling the weight of Kuroo’s chin on his small shoulder as the older peered at the 30 odd messages that Kenma had received.

“That doesn’t look like just  _ a text _ to me, Kenma” Kuroo said, amazed at how Kenma could be so calm when saying that. 

Kenma let out a breathy sigh,

“Looks like she is away for a few weeks again. Last-minute trips as usual.” 

Kenma replied to his mother with the usual ‘ _ okay, see you soon’  _ as he left messages and resumed his game. 

Kuroo picked Kenma up by the waist, hearing a small squeal escape the kitten’s lips as he was placed gently in the rooster’s lap, still playing his game. 

Kuroo watched his boyfriend contently, admiring how the sunlight hit Kenma’s slim face and how his pale skin shone compared to the slightly more tanned skin that Kuroo donned. The cat-eyes of Kenma sparkled in the spotlight that the sun had created and it almost seemed ethereal to Kuroo how the boy on this lap could be so different around him than how he is around others. 

But deep down, Kuroo knew that Kenma still loved him all the same. Regardless of how he acted when out in public. Unknowingly, Kenma had turned around, coming face to face with Kuroo’s admiring eyes.

“And what exactly are you looking at, Science Nerd?” Kenma asked, looking as Kuroo snapped out of his trance and replied,

“Your beautiful face, of course. What else?” Kuroo replied as he felt a buzz in his pocket. Kuroo pulled his phone out and looked at the message.

“Kitten.” Kuroo remained with his eyes fixed on the phone screen in front of him as Kenma had replied,

“Yes?”

“We have practice this afternoon.” Kuroo looked up as Kenma’s head tilted slightly to the side, showing his confusion. 

_ Cute.  _ Kuroo thought as Kenma spoke again.

“But it’s a day off?” Kuroo nodded in acknowledgement as he replied,

“I know, they said they want to hold an extra practice this afternoon till this evening to prepare us and strengthen our skills.”

“Okay.” Kenma agreed. 

Kuroo was shocked but was weirdly proud of Kenma, especially because of the state that he was in for the night previous and that morning.

“Hey Kitten?” Kuroo asked again.

“Yeah?” Kenma replied, looking at his game.

“I love you, especially this side of you.” Kuroo confessed, his cheeks gaining a red and pink hue.

“I love you too, but just know, you are the only one that can see this side.” Kenma said, pausing his game and turning around, placing a small kiss on Kuroo’s nose. By this time, they were both as red as each other.

Kuroo thought again, as Kenma returned to his game, about the nightmares that Kenma won’t open up about. Kuroo knew his kitten spent a lot of time talking and hanging out with Akaashi. Kuroo’s thoughts couldn’t figure any reason out and so who better to ask than the person who your boyfriend spends lots of time with, aside from you.

_ I’ll have to contact Bokuto. _


End file.
